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Jonathon Brooks Named Panthers' Biggest X-Factor for 2026 Season
Jonathon Brooks was named the Carolina Panthers' biggest X-factor for the 2026 season. Find out why.
12 actors who got replaced in movie sequels — and what they had to say about it
Not every actor makes it to the sequel. EW breaks down 12 major movie recastings, why they happened, and who stepped into the role.
A storm destroyed her tea factory. One Canadian friend kept the business alive 2,300 miles away
Two businesswomen made a promise to each other, and after two years of support, the Asheville Tea Company in North Carolina will reopen
Flemming feels 'pure excitement' for Liverpool game
New Ipswich signing Zian Flemming says he is feeling "joy and excitement" to experience the Premier League again with Ipswich Town. Flemming could make his debut for the Tractor Boys in Friday night's visit of Liverpool after his £20m move from Burnley on deadline day. The 28-year-old striker scored 11 league goals for the Clarets last season, but could not help them avoid relegation in what has been his only English top-flight campaign so far.
Guest Commentary: Screen time isn’t to blame for youth mental-health issues
The narrative tying youth depression to smartphone use and screen time may not be accurate — the passing of the school year or other factors are shown to be more of an indicator.
Seahawks’ Jadarian Price Gets Realistic Message Before Patriots Game
The Seattle Seahawks are counting on Jadarian Price right out of the gate to be a factor in their running game. Seattle opens the 2026 NFL season with a Super Bowl LX rematch against the New England Patriots on Sept. 9. Last season for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Price played 242 total snaps, leading to a […] The post Seahawks’ Jadarian Price Gets Realistic Message Before Patriots Game appeared first on HEAVY.
What's the 411?
We remember actor Tim Curry who died last week. He’s known for his rolls in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” “Clue,” Christmas classic “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,”
Leadership transition for the HAPO Center
The contractor operating the HAPO Center has announced a leadership transition for the venue as owner Franklin County considers diverse options for the facility’s future.
Reflecting Pool saga continues with another contractor hired to clean the algae
The Trump administration has hired yet another new company to help clean and maintain the Lincoln Reflecting Pool — adding to a months-long saga around the renovation project.
Onyeka Okongwu Tabbed As ‘Biggest X Factor’ for Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks may have to lean heavily on big man Onyeka Okongwu in the frontcourt this season.
Abliteration.ai is making a business out of removing AI guardrails
Abliteration.AI is making powerful AI models without guardrails easier to access, arguing that giving defenders the same tools as bad actors could ultimately improve cybersecurity.
Until Dawn 2 Launches January 28
The interactive slasher Until Dawn 2 takes place on a tropical island and stars ‘Stranger Things’ actor Dacre Montgomery.
HBO's new 'Harry Potter' trailer looks familiar. Some fans say that's the problem.
New actors are taking over the iconic roles, but the latest trailer suggests HBO isn't straying far from the wizarding world fans already know.
NANO Nuclear and Howden, a Baker Hughes Business, Advance Engineering Collaboration for the KRONOS MMR™ Primary Helium Circulator to Detailed Design Phase
Engineering milestone marks continued progress in the maturation of the KRONOS MMR™ toward commercial readiness New York, N.Y., Sept. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) (“NANO Nuclear” or “the Company”), a leading advanced nuclear micro modular reactor and technology company focused on developing clean energy solutions, announced continued progress toward […]
Is intelligence really passed down by our parents? What science says today - Futura-Sciences
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” as the saying goes. But is popular belief enough to conclude that intelligence is hereditary? There are plenty of examples of parents who appear to have intellectual abilities that differ from those of their children. That is because other factors, such as...
VCU Health awards cleaning services contract to new vendor, to pay $26M in first year
The contractor transition means at least a temporary layoff of more than 500 employees, though many of them are expected to be rehired by the new vendor.
Sony and Microsoft say they’re not obligated to pass U.S. tariff refunds to consumers, echoing Nintendo
Back in July, Sony executives told investors that the company expected to receive $508 million in refunds from the U.S. government, after tariffs that the PlayStation-maker paid were ruled mostly in 2025 were found to be illegal. “Most” of the refund would by recouped by Sony’s gaming division, its chief financial officer said. This week, Sony’s lawyers are arguing that the company is not legally obligated to pass those proceeds on to consumers who paid for recently price-hiked PlayStation consoles. That’s in the face of a lawsuit from gamers calling on them to do exactly that. “Paying fair market price for voluntarily purchased consumer goods is not a legally cognizable injury in fact,” the lawyers wrote in a legal motion filed on Monday, as they asked a judge in California’s Northern District to dismiss a potential class action lawsuit over the tariff refunds. Microsoft made a similar argument two weeks ahead of Sony’s lawyers, in a similar lawsuit brought by a gamer in federal court in Washington State. As Microsoft’s legal team put it on August 21, in their request for a dismissal of that lawsuit: “There is nothing unjust about Plaintiff purchasing an Xbox at an advertised price and getting exactly what he paid for—regardless of whatever theory he devised months later about Microsoft’s cost structure.” Both legal fights are set to go on for some time. How things got to this point U.S. tariffs impacting a wide range of imported goods, including game consoles, had kicked off in early 2025. In May 2025, Microsoft raised the price of its Xbox consoles, citing “market conditions and the rising cost of development.” They raised them again that September. In August of that year, Sony raised the price of PlayStation 5 consoles, citing “a challenging economic environment.” Sony later told investors that its tariff fees for the fall quarter were nearly $200 million. in February of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the 2025 tariffs illegal, prompting impacted companies to begin to request refunds. In turn, consumers began suing the likes of Sony and Microsoft to get what they said was their share. The gamers in the Microsoft and Sony lawsuits argue that the 2025 price hikes of PlayStation and Xbox consoles, which added $50 or more to their sticker price, were due to illegal tariffs and should now be returned to consumers. The Sony suit started in May, when a group of gamers sued in federal court in California, saying Sony Interactive Entertainment (PlayStation) would be unjustly enriching itself if it did not pass tariff refunds to its PS5 buyers. “Sony is poised to be paid twice for the same unlawful tariff burden: once by its customers (through elevated prices) and once by the U.S. government (through tariff refunds),” the gamers’ lawyers wrote at the time. They called for Sony to partially reimburse anyone who bought a PlayStation in the U.S. since August 1, 2025. The Microsoft suit, filed by gamer Trevor Hastings against the Xbox giant in July, made similar claims. The console makers push back In late July, Nintendo’s lawyers, facing a similar suit accusing them of double-dipping on tariffs and refunds, replied with arguments that previewed Microsoft’s and Sony’s: “Nintendo or one of its retailers set a price for each product, and consumers decided whether that price was worth paying,” they wrote. Sony has buttressed that Nintendo-style argument this week by saying that the gamers have failed to prove that tariffs were the reason for its August 2025 PS5 price hike. They call thatclaim “speculative and illogical.” Other factors, including “inflation, currency fluctuations, component costs, logistics, competitive dynamics, or demand,” could have played a role. (No, the Sony lawyers do not break down the costs and factors that officially triggered the price increases). Microsoft has also argued that there’s no proof in these lawsuits that tariffs drove all or some of the price increase, as it seeks to dismiss the tariff refund suit it’s facing: “Plaintiff provides no specific allegations that would establish any pricing differential attributable to tariffs or suggest any possibility that Microsoft applied then or could recreate now any dollar-for-dollar calculation of tariff-related pricing—any more than it could any other market factor that affects pricing.” To further skewer the gamer side’s argument in its case, Sony’s lawyers have pointed to what might be a surprising defense: yet another PlayStation 5 price hike from this past spring, after the tariffs were ruled illegal. “If the original price increase were attributable to tariffs, SIE [Sony Interactive Entertainment, aka PlayStation] would have had no reason to raise prices again after the Supreme Court invalidated the IEEPA tariffs.” … “If tariffs were the cause of the price increases, one would expect SIE to lower prices once the tariffs were eliminated—not raise them again. Instead, the timeline confirms that the pricing of PlayStation consoles includes a diverse and dynamic set of input costs.” Judges have not yet ruled on the arguments made by Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo. Last week, Panic, the company behind the small, yellow Playdate handheld said it would be passing its tariff refunds on to consumers. It is the only gaming hardware maker to have made such a pledge. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my reporting, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Item 2: A reporter’s second Second Life Wagner James Au, who from 2003-2006 was paid by San Francisco-based tech company Linden Lab to be a full-time journalist embedded in their virtual world Second Life, is returning to the company. This time, he’ll be an editorial advisor and business development specialist, he tells Game File. The new role will involve trying to share the stories of people inhabiting Second Life’s ongoing online world with reporters and by extension the public. Au plans to continue to also chronicle some of that through his long-running blog New World Notes. I’ve known Au since the mid-2000s and featured him in a 2007 article for the Columbia Journalism Review about reporters like him opening up virtual news outlets within Second Life. As I wrote at the time: On April 22, 2003, writing as Hamlet Linden for the New World Notes blog on Second Life’s Web site, Au introduced himself. “For the next few months, Linden Lab has invited me to set aside my journalist cap, and instead, don the digital beanie of their in-house virtual correspondent.” He wasn’t paid to keep it positive. He wrote about builders and eccentrics, but then in August of that year, he reported on a tax revolt against Linden Lab (a complaint about the fees it charges users who build stuff) led by a resident whose avatar was a big cat. Second Life has always been less of a video game and more of a virtual world where people can live, hang out, make art, sell virtual items and flirt. Back in 2007, Au described touring it as “sort of like underwater lucid dreaming.” For the past two decades, Au has maintained New World Notes as an independent publication. But he said he’s been drawn back to Second Life and Linden Lab as a place to directly work. The virtual world has around 650,000 monthly active users, he said, “which is actually about what it was during the hype wave.” Au says he’s still finding rich stories in Second Life, the kind that keep him interested 20 years into the beat: “Over the last few months for instance, I wrote about an SL creator in Venezuela whose apartment was destroyed by the earthquakes, so the global SL community rallied to get him back on his feet,” he told me. “Then there’s the woman from a Middle Eastern country who explored her lesbian sexuality in SL, then earned enough from her virtual jewelry to escape her abusive family situation and country.” Au wants to beckon more reporters to give Second Life another look. He argues that it is often ahead of internet trends, noting, for example, an early backlash in the community against AI-made art. Now the platform is drawing curiosity from more of the user-generated content community who’ve grown up with the likes of Roblox, according to Au. “Second Life was too early during its hype wave in 2005-2010, but it now feels right for a new wave of interest,” he told me.
Matthew Morrison Signs With Echo Lake Entertainment (EXCLUSIVE)
Actor Matthew Morrison has inked with Echo Lake Entertainment for management.
Optics Still Driving Marvell’s AI Business More Than Custom Chips
The datacenter has become the dominate factor in driving the business of chip maker and chip shepher ...
Meet the 2026 \'Dancing With the Stars\' cast
The new cast of "Dancing With the Stars" has been announced, featuring a mix of entertainers, reality stars and athletes. This season includes actor Julia Stiles, Olympian Amber Glenn and
Charlize Theron reveals 1 sweet memory from ‘Mad Max: Fury Road,’ hints at Tom Hardy rift
Charlize Theron spoke about a sweet memory from ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ amid a reported rift with actor Tom Hardy, which she also hinted at on stage.
New research explores the frequency in which CMS devalues radiology services
“Variation in valuation adjustment rates and amounts may reflect factors such as specialty society influence, valuation methods and negotiation strategies,” experts write in JAMA Network Open.
More Than 170 Jewish Entertainment Figures Sign Letter Defending Mark Ruffalo
More than 170 Jewish artists, writers, religious leaders, and entertainment industry professionals signed an open letter on Tuesday supporting actor Mark Ruffalo, following Paramount’s accusation that...
Netflix announces 3-part Matthew Perry docuseries exploring the life and legacy of the “Friends” actor
“The One About Matthew Perry” will be released on Oct. 27.
Column: Learn more about Iowa’s environmental health risks
Iowa has the second-highest cancer incidence rate in the nation. No single factor can be blamed. But scientists increasingly recognize that environmental exposures, including contaminants in our water, deserve serious scrutiny.
Made in America: How AI is keeping this U.S. factory competitive
GE Appliances is leaning heavily into artificial intelligence to improve quality and efficiency on the factory floor.
Bit Reactor furloughed "many of its workers" in the weeks before Star Wars Zero Company's launch
Sources claim 80% of the developer's staff were furloughed, and that a skeleton crew is left to address post-launch bugs
Andrew Garfield says he still believes in a gay Spider-Man: ‘Anyone can be in that suit’
Andrew Garfield wanted to see a gay Spider-Man in 2013, and he wants to see a gay Spider-Man in 2026. The actor revisits his viral EW interview from 2013 in which he wondered why Spidey can’t ‘be into boys?’
7 new dementia risk factors revealed — including one millions struggle with
The World Health Organization has added seven new dementia risk factors, including stroke, sleep apnea, HIV and air pollution, to its updated guidelines.
‘Most’ of Star Wars Zero Company studio Bit Reactor was furloughed ahead of launch
Last week was meant to be a moment of triumph for Bit Reactor, the Maryland-based game studio founded in 2021 with ambitions to create a great new tactical combat game. On Thursday, August 27, Bit Reactor’s debut title, Star Wars Zero Company, released to stellar reviews. And, from the Gamescom show in Cologne, Germany, studio co-founder Greg Foertsch was giving interviews discussing what the studio’s next game may be. But for many developers on the game, launch has been bittersweet. Fans love it. Critics prefer it to most recent Star Wars games. Zero Company, which is out for PS5, Xbox Series consoles and PC, is the top-selling game on Steam. Much of the team that made it, however, is currently going without pay. They were furloughed, just weeks ahead of the game’s launch. A rep for Bit Reactor confirmed to Game File today that the studio had furloughed many of its workers prior to the game’s release. They said it was a difficult decision and one that had been made before it was clear how launch would go. The rep emphasized that the call to do this was Bit Reactor’s alone (meaning not from publisher EA nor Star Wars license holder Disney). While the rep declined to comment on the scale of the furloughs, a previously unreported lawsuit brought by studio co-founder Alison Kelly in 2024 noted in a filing from August 12 of this year that Bit Reactor “has furloughed most of its employees and terminated contractors…” One source told Game File the furloughs impacted 80% of the team; another referred to there only being a skeleton crew left on Bit Reactor’s active payroll, ready to address any of Zero Company’s post-launch bugs. The issue is that Bit Reactor, a studio formed in 2021, had run out of most of its money just ahead of the launch of its first game. Over the weekend, Zachariah Scott, a senior technical artist who worked at Bit Reactor from early 2023 until an acrimonious exit this past May, said on LinkedIn that the studio was “concealing the fact that the team was Furloughed weeks ago.” Reached by phone today, Scott told Game File that he spoke to nearly a dozen Bit Reactor workers over the weekend. “Everybody has essentially the same story, which is, ‘Yeah, I got furloughed three weeks ago.” The Bit Reactor rep told Game File that the studio hoped to bring furloughed workers back, suggesting that a successful launch of the game could be impactful. Scott told Game File that workers he spoke to were less confident that even if there were returns, that all who were furloughed would get their old jobs again. A heated dispute Bit Reactor’s mid-2026 was almost even more tumultuous. The lawsuit by co-founder Alison Kelly that first revealed the furloughs was initially slated to go to trial in June. The suit is a she-said/he-said about whether Kelly, until 2024 the chief operating officer of Bit Reactor, was a co-owner of the studio or whether it was solely owned by Greg Foertsch. In July 2024, Kelly sued, saying she was pushed out by Foertsch. She first sued in federal court and later refiled in Maryland’s Baltimore County, alleging breach of contract and that Foertsch had unjustly enriched himself. Kelly cited damages of over $20 million, on the basis of Bit Reactor allegedly being worth more than double that. Foertsch’s side has said Kelly was never a co-owner and has countered with claims about her job performance (which she has denied). The June trial was postponed until early 2027, as both sides have been deposing witnesses and filing more claims and denials along the way. Amid all of that, filings in the lawsuit reviewed by Game File paint a picture about Bit Reactor’s origins, early aspirations around tactics games, the team’s breakthrough in drawing the attention of Electronic Arts with the help of a pitch tied to one of EA’s non-Star Wars franchises, and early fractures among its co-founders. The real story about the company behind Zero Company
Owen Thiele and Jack Innanen on their slow-burn romance in 'Adults' Season 2
The actors spoke about their characters' big moment in the Season 2 finale of the comedy, the alternate ending they taped and where their relationship might go in Season 3.
Lola Petticrew Is Absolutely Spellbinding in ‘Furious’
The nonbinary actor turns in a stunning performance in the first season of ‘Furious.’
12 actors, TV personalities and industry veterans we said goodbye to in August
Hayden Panettiere is among the actors, reality stars and Hollywood figures whose deaths were reported in recent weeks.
A 104-year-old farmer’s $183,000 Deere tractor sale tests a U.S. farm recovery
America’s aging farmers have been holding on to machinery for longer than usual as low crop prices and rising costs squeezed their finances.
Dick Van Dyke shares impressive workout video at 100 years young
Dick Van Dyke’s latest workout video has fans floored by the 100-year-old actor’s physical fitness.
Fake Chrome update scam could infect your computer
A Chrome extension with 70,000 users and a 4.7-star rating began injecting fake update warnings after a threat actor acquired and weaponized it.
‘GTA 5’ Actor Says Fans Are ‘Out Of Their Minds’ Saying ‘GTA 6’ Looks Worse
In the wake of the "GTA 6 Extended Look," some fans claim that "GTA 5" looks better. A "GTA 5" actor is now shooting that down.
A course correction Canada would concur with
I’ve always harbored a soft spot for Canada. My father was stationed there twice, once in the 1960s as the Atomic Energy Commission’s American liaison with the Canadian nuclear reactor program in Chalk River, Ontario and again in the 1970s as the State Department’s scientific attache at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa. I had the […]
Government Contractors | Technology 2026: WILLIAM H. ‘BILL’ DEAN
CEO | M.C. DEAN | TYSONS/MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA
10 Practical Camping Gadgets Worth Buying From Tractor Supply
Tractor Supply may not be your first choice for camping gear, but it offers more than you might expect, including tools, sleeping bags, and cast-iron cookware.
GTA 5's Michael Actor Defends GTA 6 After Doubters Say Rockstar's Games Look Too Similar
Ned Luke, the actor behind Grand Theft Auto 5's Michael De Santa, said people who think Grand Theft Auto 6 looks too much like GTA 5 are "out of their minds."
Tom Holland Becomes Third-Highest-Grossing Actor Thanks to 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day'
The actor just made history.
McCarty: State needs stricter approach to behavioral health factor of homelessness
(FOX40.COM) — This week on Inside California Politics, host Nikki Laurenzo spoke with Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty. McCarty is a part of the California Big City Mayors coalition, which is made up…
McCarty: State needs stricter approach to behavioral health factor of homelessness
(FOX40.COM) — This week on Inside California Politics, host Nikki Laurenzo spoke with Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty. McCarty is a part of the California Big City Mayors coalition, which is made up…
The screenings and other habits doctors recommend as early-onset cancers rise
Some cancers can’t be screened for or are hard to detect, but there are many factors that can help manage risk.
Your Body Has a 'Second Heart', And It's Crucial You Keep It Pumping
A vital factor in circulation.
Late payments threaten business license of Chicago body removal contractor
The small funeral home company that holds the lucrative contract for the city’s body removal services may soon be dissolved due to its failure to pay business license fees to the state.
Pols & Politics: Healey’s ratings slump again in latest poll, still favored for reelection
A trend of unsatisfactory approval ratings continues for Gov. Maura Healey in a poll released just days before the September primary, as former Boston Police Commissioners are honored in Quincy.
Stressed out about politics? It could be impacting your health
Political stress is a distinct type of stress that refers to how political events, decisions and actors, can cause anxiety, even depression, and other health impacts. Academics like a team of researchers at the Body Politics Lab at Western University are digging into how people feel, emotionally and physically, about politics.
Tom Cruise announces sequel to 'Days of Thunder' with Anne Hathaway
LOS ANGELES — Tom Cruise is set to film a sequel to his 1990 NASCAR hit "Days of Thunder" with Anne Hathaway, both actors announced in a video posted Saturday
Lifestyle Medicine and the Science of Cholesterol Reduction: A Systematic Review of Non-medication Approaches Among Adults
Dyslipidemia is a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and remains highly prevalent despite advances in lipid-lowering therapy. Lifestyle medicine has emerged as a comprehensi...
Shelley Fabares remembered by “Donna Reed Show ”brother Paul Petersen: ‘I will miss you forever’
The actor mourned the loss of his onscreen sister who died on Aug. 22.
Yankees' Unsuspecting Pitcher Has Become Massive X-Factor
This unsuspecting New York Yankees pitcher has become a huge X-factor down the stretch.
AI-generated videos are already displacing actors and livestreamers across China's entertainment industry
In China, 95 percent of the 128,000 short dramas released in Q1 2026 were AI-generated. Some actors are being forced to hand over their voice and likeness to AI tools before getting fired, the Financial Times reports. AI-related labor disputes are rising fast.
Tom Hardy’s debut rap album has officially dropped — and yes, he does the Bane voice
The “MobLand” actor moonlights as a rapper under the name Frankie Pulitzer.
Tom Hardy’s debut rap album has officially dropped — and yes, he does the Bane voice
‘MobLand’ actor Tom Hardy has officially dropped his debut rap album — and yes, he does the Bane voice from ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’
‘Veronica Mars’ star Jason Dohring shares why he left Hollywood to become a farmer
‘Veronica Mars’ actor Jason Dohring turned his back on Hollywood to focus on a new career: organic farming.
Cloud AI Today - Cloud Gaming Thrives as 5G Fuels Traveler Entertainment
The cloud gaming sector is poised for substantial growth, particularly within the traveler segment, as advancements in 5G technology, edge computing, and increased travel fuel demand for entertainment on the go. Projections indicate the market will grow from $3.2 billion in 2025 to $4.1 billion in 2026, with expectations to reach $11.03 billion by 2030. This expansion is driven by factors such as enhanced mobile connectivity, widespread adoption of portable gaming devices, and rising interest...
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy's Game Director and Star on Why Sophia Is So Special and Why This Prequel Let the Team 'Get Some Fresh Air'
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy has just been released on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, and we had the chance at gamescom to speak to David Dedeine, co-founder of Asobo and game director, and Anna Demetriou, Sophia's voice actor, about this big moment for the franchise.
'Right to repair' bill could free contractors' grip on military
The Pentagon spends billions of dollars fixing equipment, and Republicans and Democrats alike want to bring the work in house
Scientists tested 212 plant-based meat alternatives. Every one contained fungal toxins
Every one of 212 plant-based meat alternatives and drinks tested in the UK contained at least one naturally occurring fungal toxin, though concentrations remained below recommended EU guideline levels. Researchers say the bigger question is whether regularly eating large amounts of these foods could lead to potentially concerning cumulative exposure over time.
The Literacy Crisis Reaches Dog-Bear Science
“New analysis of more than 300 bear encounters suggests our canine companions often increase odds of conflict and rarely serve as early warning systems many recreationists assume,” reads a subhead in Mountain Journal. The thing is, that study reaches no such conclusion. But you have to read beyond the abstract to understand that. Mountain Journal is not alone. Let’s look at a brief list of takeaways published elsewhere just to establish that none of them seem to know how to read science. Wes Siler’s Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Here’s CBC: “A new peer-reviewed study, The Canine Conundrum: Is a Dog a Help or Hindrance in Bear Country?, dug into conflicts similar to what the video depicts, by analyzing 326 reported human-bear conflicts from 1901 to 2023 involving dogs.” “The study found 54 per cent of conflicts were started by dogs. In the encounters researchers included in the study, five people and 56 dogs were killed, and 170 people were injured.” “Lana Ciarniello, an independent researcher who co-authored the study, said researchers found when a person goes hiking with at least one other person, the odds of a negative bear encounter decrease by 50 per cent.” “However, when a dog is involved, the chances of a negative bear encounter increase because ‘a dog really adds a chaotic factor into the mix of recreation,’ said Ciarniello.” Again, the study finds no data supporting that conclusion. “Hiking with your pet dog may make you feel safer in bear country—but a hiker’s recent encounter and a new study prove that the numbers don’t add up,” writes Backpacker, which is now part of Outside. The numbers don’t add up to support this take. There’s plenty more examples, but all are equally dumb, so I’ll stop there. How did so many people get this so wrong? Three reasons: 1) the study is published behind a paywall, with only the abstract freely available. 2) the methodology sets out to create work relevant to a hyper-specific audience, not the public. And 3) the dataset studied is almost absurdly limited and doesn’t bear (get it?!) comparison to wider information. Let’s work through all three. The Problem is Money I understand the irony, since I’m writing about this on a subscription-model newsletter, but information wants to be free. The study is published by The Wildlife Society and costs $16 to access. Reprinting it is specifically prohibited by the terms of use, so I can only share snippets and my conclusions with you here. Having worked as a journalist for 24 years, I can report with some authority that journalists are both lazy and cheap. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that much of the material you’re seeing written about this study is drawn from the freely-available abstract (above) only, and not a deep dive into its methodology or data. And that’s a problem, because abstracts are where researchers are able to break from their numbers and editorialize their opinions about conclusions. So what’s getting reported isn’t based on numbers, it’s based on an opinion designed for a specific audience, not the general public. Hell yeah ladies, kick that bear’s ass. The Methodology is Designed to Support a Predetermined Conclusion One of the biggest issues with the science that everyone likes to cite about bear spray’s efficacy is that no one understands that study was designed for a specific audience, looking for a specific answer. And since that audience is not the public, and our safety was not the question being asked, its conclusion is rendered irrelevant to our needs. Yes, I’m talking about Efficacy of Bear Deterrent Spray in Alaska, which was created by Tom Smith and Stephen Herrero, two of the same scientists who put together this dog-bear conflict analysis. In the spray study, the purpose was to present relevant agencies with the information they needed to issue their field workers with bear spray. As such, incidents where people were unable to access the spray or similarly failed to get it deployed in time were excluded from the results, and only incidents they deemed successful were included. Could a ranger roll down their vehicle’s window and scare a bear away from a dumpster by spraying it? Turns out the answer was yes, and that was good enough for the purposes of that study. The sample size of actual bear attacks—the thing you and I would want bear spray to provide a solution to, was too small to draw conclusions from, and didn’t indicate success in that role. Is a Dog a Help or Hindrance in Bear Country? has similar limitations. “Insights provided here are intended to help wildlife managers create effective guidelines regarding the presence of domestic dogs in bear habitat,” is explained clearly by the study’s text. To conduct the study, Smith and Herrero went looking for publicly available reports of dog-bear conflicts: “All incidents included in our analysis involved at least one bear, one dog, and one person who was at immediate risk of injury (e.g., not in a protective structure such as a cabin or vehicle), injured, or killed,” explains the report’s methodology. Why is that a problem? “We recognize that data used in this study are biased in that people generally only report adverse interactions with bears, not benign ones. Consequently, we assume that for the most part, people and their dogs pass through bear country without incident.” As was the problem with the bear spray study, people are drawing conclusions here from a study that was never intended to be relevant to the general public. The Smith-Herrero database famously excludes Alaska’s Defense of Life and Property records, which are elsewhere considered the largest and most authoritative source on human-bear conflict. The Dataset is Absurdly Limited A 2009 study conducted by the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife estimates that each year there are at least 43,000 documented complaints of human-bear conflict across North America. Is a Dog a Help or Hindrance in Bear Country? Examined those reports for years ranging from 1901 to 2023, and only managed to find 326 such incidents that met the criteria explained above. Let’s do some quick math, poorly. 43,000 incidents x 122 years = 5,246,000 total incidents of documented human-bear conflict. Smith and Herrero were only able to find 326 incidents that met their criteria for dog+human+bear+risk or occurrence of injury. That means there’s a 0.006 percent chance that the study’s conclusion—that dogs make bear encounters more dangerous—even gets a chance of occurring. And remember, that’s only in documented conflicts. There’s no way to know how many people across North America run into a bear in any given year without any conflict, but it’s probably safe to assume that the total number is well in excess of 43,000. And, dig deeper into the study and you can find further restrictions that skew its conclusions even more. “While the people involved in these incidents did not report the level of training their dogs had received, it is our assumption that most were untrained companion dogs as opposed to well-trained bear dogs, such as Karelians and livestock guardian breeds that have proven to be significant aids in bear country,” the study’s methodology explains. And that’s a problem, because an ongoing study here in Montana is finding that the simple presence of a Kangal like our youngest dog Teddy can reduce visits to private property from grizzly bears by 87.8 percent. In addition to being a badass, Teddy is also a companion animal. And in my admittedly limited sample size of the three dogs currently present in our living room, she’s no more effective than her mutt brothers. Plenty of people own a dog capable of deterring bears, even if they didn’t set out to own a bear dog. The real purpose of this study appears to be a recommendation that leashes are mandated and recreationists pursue training in their deterrent of choice. But that doesn’t make for sensational headlines. Are There Any Real Takeaways Here? Let’s throw some numbers around, just to try and get our hands around what the larger picture might look like for bears and dogs here. The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates that 42.6 percent of American households own a dog. The Canadian Animal Health Institute says roughly 35 percent of households in Canuckistan own a dog. In an attempt to create the worst possible result for dogs, let’s run with that 35 percent number. And given that outdoorsy and rural people are more likely to both own a dog, and have bear encounters, let’s just make a giant assumption and apply that number to those 43,000 conflicts documented annually. If 35 percent of 43,000 human-bear encounters involve a dog, then we can assume that at least 15,050 dog-bear conflicts are occurring annually in North America. 15,050 x 122 = 1,836,100. Smith and Herrero were only able to find 326 incidents that met their human, dog, chance or occurrence of injury criteria across 122 years. And only 170 documented human injuries. So, with all the obvious caveats about these numbers in no way describing reality beyond narrow study parameters, what they actually found is that your risk of injury if your dog tangles with a bear is only 0.009 percent. I’ll take those odds next time I’m hiking my dogs in bear country. Top photo: “Superintendent Horace Albright, eating pancakes with bears, at Lake Lodge, Yellowstone National Park.” NPS. A journalist with more than two decades of experience working around the world, Wes Siler is here to cut through the outrage and disinformation to bring you the factual, insightful, actionable reporting you need to understand what’s going on. Upgrading to a paid subscription supports this reporting, and buys personal access to Wes, who will help you save money on gear, plan outdoor adventures, and prepare for real life, and who promises he’s less salty in real life than he sometimes comes across as on the Internet. Wes Siler’s Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. 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